West Lake Cycling: The Flat, Scenic Hangzhou Loop
West Lake has a flat 15 km ring made for bikes, plus a climb to the Longjing tea hills. Here’s the route, where to rent, and how to combine it with the Grand Canal.
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Taihu Lake: Jiangsu’s Vast Freshwater Playground
Taihu Lake on the Jiangsu border offers cycling, cherry blossoms, and the famous Three Whites fish. Here is which shore to pick and what it costs to visit.
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Poyang Lake: China’s Largest Lake and Its Winter Cranes
Poyang Lake in Jiangxi swells in summer and shrinks to crane-filled mudflats in winter. Here is when to go, how to reach it from Nanchang, and what to see.
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Lugu Lake: Mosuo Culture and a Quiet Border Lake
Lugu Lake on the Yunnan-Sichuan border is home to the Mosuo people and clear mountain water. Here is how to get there, what to do, and where to stay on a trip.
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Dianchi Lake: Kunming’s Gull-Filled Highland Lake
Dianchi Lake at Kunming’s foot fills with Siberian gulls each winter. Here is how to reach it, what to do, and how to pair it with the Stone Forest too.
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Yamdrok Lake: The Turquoise Loop Out of Lhasa
Yamdrok Lake south of Lhasa: the turquoise holy lake over the Gampala pass, permits and altitude, the best months for color, and the drive on to Gyantse.
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Sayram Lake Xinjiang: The Blue Lake at the Foot of the Tianshan
Sayram Lake in Xinjiang: the blue alpine lake below the Tianshan, the Guozigou approach, yurt nights, the flower season, and getting there from Urumqi.
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Mingsha Crescent Lake: Dunhuang Dunes, Prices, and Timing
Crescent Lake at Mingsha in Dunhuang: entry, the best hour for light, whether the camel ride is worth it, and how to pair the dunes with the Mogao Caves.
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Thousand Island Lake: Qiandaohu Beyond the Postcard
Thousand Island Lake near Hangzhou is a 1950s reservoir with over 1,000 forested islands, boat circuits, and a famous freshwater fish head soup.
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Qiantang Tidal Bore: The Silver Dragon Wave
The Qiantang tidal bore near Hangzhou is the world’s largest, a meter-high wall of water that runs upriver on the lunar calendar and can be heard a minute early.
